consequences. the incident took place near disputed islands on january 30 but took time to verify.thepentagonsaysboth sides ought to avoid any acts that might spark conflict. >>> meanwhile, china is promising to make sweeping tax reforms to narrow the rich/poor suicide. plans approved by china -- divide. plans approved by china says the rich might pay more. in companies, taxes could rise 20% by 2015. there's talk of giving savers a better return. it's for tilting toward more consumption than investment spending. >>> an expected pickup in china is giving a reason to be more optimistic after a challenging 2012. the company said the net loss widened to nearly $4 billion in the fourth quarter last year. but the biggest steelmaker by volume expects profits to pick up amidst improving conditions. in china alone the company sees the steel market growing 3%. and the stock up 2% as a result. >>> and syngenta trades are lower today. the company reported full-year net profit of $1.8 billion. that was ahead of a reuters forecast. it expects another record sales year citing strong commodity prices. so w